Valve and sensor arrangement

ABSTRACT

A valve and sensor arrangement includes a valve which has a valve member. A sensor such as a sensor for detecting a flow of water through the valve is provided within the valve member and is preferably aligned with a turning axis of the valve member. The sensor is preferably a flow sensor which is rotated by flow through the valve and the sensor arrangement may be provided in a valve of general utility.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

This application is a continuation-in-part application of my applicationentitled Supply Valve and Arrangement for Fire Suppression WaterSprinkler System, Ser. No. 752,479, filed on Sep. 6, 1991, now U.S. Pat.No. 5,269,344, which is based upon PCT Application Ser. No.PCT/US90/01114 which was filed on Mar. 8, 1990 and which is acontinuation-in-part application of my application entitled Valve andArrangement for Fire Suppression Water Sprinkler System, Ser. No.320,716, filed on Mar. 8, 1989, now U. S. Pat. No. 4,993,453 and whichis also a continuation-in-part application of my application entitledValve and Arrangement for Fire Suppression Water Sprinkler System, Ser.No. 413,292, filed on Sep. 27, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,109 andwhich is also a continuation-in-part application of my applicationentitled Valve and Arrangement for Fire Suppression Water SprinklerSystem, Ser. No. 416,111, filed on Oct. 3, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No.5,036,883 and which is also a continuation-in-part application of myapplication entitled Valve and Arrangement for Fire Suppression WaterSprinkler System, Ser. No. 320,713, filed on Mar. 8, 1989, now U.S. Pat.No. 4,995,423 which is a continuation-in-part application of applicationSer. No. 138,436, filed on Dec. 28, 1987, now issued as U.S. Pat. No.4,852 610 which is in turn a continuation-in-part application ofapplication Ser. No. 881,270, filed on Jul. 2, 1986, now issued as U.S.Pat. No. 4,741,361 which in turn is a continuation-in-part applicationof my application of the same title, Ser. No. 874,653, filed on Jun. 16,1986, now abandoned, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates generally to valves and sensors and moreparticularly relates to valve arrangements having flow sensors or othersensors for use in supplying water to fire suppression systems and foruse in testing and draining fire suppression water sprinkler systems.The present invention also relates generally to flow switches and moreparticularly relates to flow switches used in connection with firesuppression water sprinkler systems.

In a typical fire suppression water sprinkler system as installed inmany buildings, an array of individual fire sprinklers is supplied withwater through a main conduit and various branch conduits. The individualfire sprinklers are generally provided with a member that melts when theambient temperature reaches a predetermined level indicative of a fire.The melting of the member opens a fire sprinkler to spray water in orderto suppress the fire. The individual fire sprinklers are provided withmeltable members so that the spray of water will hopefully be limited tothe region of the building where the fire is present. In this way, theextent of water damage may be minimized.

After a fire, and especially during maintenance and renovation, it maybecome necessary to replace one or more of the individual watersprinklers. At such times it is desirable to be able to drain the systemof water conduits, so that the removal of one or more of the individualwater sprinklers (after the supply of water to the main conduit has beenturned off) will not result in a flow of water through the fitting forthe water sprinkler. Accordingly, it is conventional in the art toprovide a valve which when opened will drain the water conduits of thesystem downstream of the main conduit.

Such fire suppression systems also oftentimes have a switch or sensorthat detects the flow of water in the conduits to indicate that evenonly one of the individual water sprinklers has opened. Since the flowof water in the conduits generally means that a fire is present in thebuilding, the switch or sensor typically triggers a fire alarm or sendsan appropriate signal directly to a fire department. Therefore, manyfire codes require, and it is otherwise desirable, that the switch orsensor which detects the flow of water in the conduits be periodicallytested. Accordingly, it has also become conventional in the art toprovide a valve which enables the system to be tested by permitting aflow of water corresponding to the flow through only one individualwater sprinkler that has been opened.

In addition, it is desirable (and sometimes required by the applicablefire code) to be able to visually observe the flow of water from thetesting valve. Since the testing valve (and oftentimes the drainagevalve) is frequently connected directly to a drain pipe, it isconventional to provide a sight glass downstream of the testing valve(and sometimes downstream of the drainage valve). It is, of course,possible to alternatively place a sight glass upstream of the testingvalve. Also, since it is typically desirable to determine the pressureof the water upstream of the testing valve, prior to and during a testoperation, it is conventional to provide a fitting or port to receive apressure gauge upstream of the testing valve.

The use of a separate supply valve and a separate testing and drainagevalve results in significant time and expense during installation whichcan be obviated by the present invention.

Likewise, the use of a separate flow sensor typically downstream of thesupply valve (especially together with a separate testing and drainagevalve) in a fire suppression water sprinkler system results insignificant time and expense during installation which can be minimizedby the present invention. Moreover, to provide a flow sensor generallyin a conduit results in additional time and expense due to the expenseof an appropriate fitting and the need to install the fitting in theconduit which can be minimized by the present invention.

The present invention, however, also has advantages in situations otherthan fire suppression water sprinkler systems and in other than flowsensor arrangements. The valve and sensor arrangement according to thepresent invention may be used wherever it is desirable that a flowsensor or other sensor member be removed from the system in order tohave the sensor repaired or replaced.

In the conventional flow sensor arrangement, a paddle or other member isprovided in the flow path with the flow of material deflecting orpivoting the paddle. The deflection or pivoting of the paddle typicallycloses a pair of electrical contacts outside of the flow path in orderto indicate the presence of flow in the system. However, the deflectionor pivoting of the paddle requires the use of a bellows or similardevice in order to accommodate the deflection or pivoting of the paddle.This bellows presents difficulty in that the bellows oftentimes becomesworn requiring replacement and also because the bellows is unusable withrelatively high pressure flow conditions.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a valveand sensor arrangement which overcomes the disadvantages of the priorart.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a valve andsensor arrangement wherein installation and removal of the sensor isrelatively simple and economical and can be done without providingseparate shut-off valves upstream or downstream of the sensor.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a valve anda flow sensor arrangement which is appropriate for use in relativelyhigh pressure situations.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a supply valve for afire suppression water sprinkler system which includes a flow sensor toindicate a flow of water through the valve.

Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a valveand flow switch arrangement which is relatively inexpensive to build andto install.

The valve and sensor arrangement according to the present inventioncomprises a valve including a housing and a valve member. The housinghas an interior chamber and an inlet and an outlet. The valve member isprovided within the interior chamber and has a passageway. The valvemember is movable between a first position which provides communicationbetween the inlet and the outlet of the housing and a second positionwhich prevents communication between the inlet and the outlet of thehousing. A sensor senses a condition of the passageway of the valvemember. The sensor includes a sensor element which is provided withinthe passageway of the valve member. The sensor is removable from thepassageway while the valve member is in the second position preventingcommunication between the inlet and the outlet.

A valve and sensing arrangement according to another preferredembodiment comprises a housing defining an interior chamber having aninlet and at least one outlet. A valve member is provided within theinterior chamber with the valve member having at least one passagewaythrough the valve member. The valve member is selectively movable withinthe interior chamber whereby communication between the inlet and theoutlet may be prevented. A flow sensor for sensing a flow through theinterior chamber extends within the valve member, coaxially with aturning axis of the valve member and the flow sensor is removable fromwithin the valve member while the valve member is preventingcommunication between the inlet and the outlet. The flow sensor isarranged to rotate about a longitudinal axis in response to flow throughthe valve member.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a valve andsensing arrangement comprises a housing defining an interior chamberhaving an inlet and at least one outlet. A valve member is providedwithin the interior chamber and has at least one passageway through thevalve member. The valve member has an axis of rotation and isselectively moved within the interior chamber whereby communicationbetween the inlet and the outlet may be prevented. A device for enablinga flow through the interior chamber to be sensed is provided with anaccessway for communicating with the passageway of said valve memberthrough the housing and through the valve member. The accessway issubstantially parallel with the axis of rotation.

The valve and sensor arrangement according to the present inventioncomprises a valve body having an inlet and an outlet with a valve memberhaving a valve actuator and a turning axis for the valve member whichdoes not pass through the inlet or through the outlet of the valve. Theflow switch is preferably provided generally opposite to and alignedwith the axis of the valve actuator.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a valve ofgeneral application is provided with an integral flow switch.Preferably, the valve includes a ball valve member with a valve actuatorwhich does not pass through an inlet or an outlet of the valve housing.In such an arrangement, the flow switch is provided within the centralcavity of the ball valve member and is positioned generally opposite tothe valve actuator and aligned with the valve actuator or handle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described ingreater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein likemembers bear like reference numerals and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an arrangement for supplying, testing, anddraining a fire suppression water sprinkler system according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of a supply valve according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of a valve member of the valve of FIG. 10;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of another valve member suitable foruse in the valve of FIG. 10;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the supply valve of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is rear view of the supply valve of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the supply valve of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the supply valve of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is an end view of the valve of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a view through the line 10--10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of another supply valve according tothe present invention;

FIG. 12 is a front view in partial cross-section of the supply valve ofFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a side view in partial cross-section of the supply valve ofFIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a valve and flow switch accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the flow switch in the valve of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a three way ball valve and flowswitch according to the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the flow switch in the valve of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the three way valve of FIG. 16 withthe flow directed to another outlet of the valve;

FIG. 19 is a schematic view of the flow switch in the valve of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 2 in the "open"configuration;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. in the "open"configuration;

FIG. 22 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 2 in 20 the "test"configuration;

FIG. 23 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. 22 in the "test"configuration;

FIG. 24 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 2 in the "drain & off"configuration;

FIG. 25 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. 24 in the "drain & off"configuration;

FIG. 26 is a front view of another arrangement for supplying, testing,and draining a fire suppression water sprinkler system according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the supply valve of FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 27 in the "open"configuration;

FIG. 29 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. 28 in the "open"configuration;

FIG. 30 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 27 in the "test"configuration;

FIG. 31 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. 30 in the "test"configuration;

FIG. 32 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 27 in the "off"configuration;

FIG. 33 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. 32 in the "off"configuration;

FIG. 34 is a front view of another arrangement for supplying, testing,and draining a fire suppression water sprinkler system according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 35 is an exploded view in partial cross-section of the supply valveof FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of the ball valve member of FIG. 35;

FIG. 37 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 34 in the "open"configuration;

FIG. 38 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. 37 in the "open"configuration;

FIG. 39 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 34 in the "test"configuration;

FIG. 40 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. 39 in the "test"configuration;

FIG. 41 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 34 in the "drain & off"configuration;

FIG. 42 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. 41 in the "drain & off"configuration;

FIG. 43 is a pictorial view of another valve according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 44 is a view of another arrangement for supplying, testing, anddraining a fire suppression water sprinkler system according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 45 is a side view of the valve of FIG. 44;

FIG. 46 is a side view in partial cross-section of the valve of FIG. 44;

FIG. 47 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 44;

FIG. 48 is a pictorial view of the valve member of the valve of FIG. 46;

FIG. 49 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 43 in the "off"configuration;

FIG. 50 is a side schematic view of the valve of FIG. 49 in the "off"configuration;

FIG. 51 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 43 in the "test"configuration;

FIG. 52 is a schematic view of the valve of FIG. 51 in the "test"configuration;

FIG. 53 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 34 in the "supply"configuration;

FIG. 54 is a side schematic view of the valve of FIG. 53 in the "supply"configuration;

FIG. 55 is an exploded view in partial cross-section of the valve ofFIG. 43;

FIG. 56 is a cross-sectional view of the ball valve member of FIG. 55;

FIG. 57 is a front view of another arrangement for supplying, testingand draining a fire suppression water sprinkler system according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 58 is a front view of the supply valve of FIG. 57;

FIG. 59 is a right side view of the supply valve of FIG. 58;

FIG. 60 is a bottom view of the supply valve of FIG. 58;

FIG. 61 is a top view of the supply valve of FIG. 58;

FIG. 62 is a rear view of the supply valve of FIG. 58;

FIG. 63 is a cross-sectional view of the supply valve of FIG. 57;

FIG. 64 is a view through the line 64--64 of FIG. 62;

FIG. 65 is a cross-sectional view of a second preferred embodiment ofthe valve member for the supply valve of FIG. 58;

FIG. 66 is an exploded view of the supply valve of FIG. 58;

FIG. 67 is a front view of the supply valve of FIG. 57 with the valvemember in the open position;

FIG. 68 is a schematic view of the supply valve of FIG. 67 in partialcross-section;

FIG. 69 is a front view of the supply valve of FIG. 57 with the valvemember in the test position;

FIG. 70 is a schematic view of the supply valve of FIG. 69 in partialcross-section;

FIG. 71 is a front view of the supply valve of FIG. 57 with the valvemember in the off & drain position;

FIG. 72 is a schematic view of the supply valve of FIG. 71 in partialcross-section;

FIG. 73 is an end view of the valve of FIG. 5 provided with a pressurerelief valve;

FIG. 74 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 34 provided with a pressurerelief valve;

FIG. 75 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 43 provided with a pressurerelief valve;

FIG. 76 is a front view of the valve of FIG. 57 provided with a pressurerelief valve;

FIG. 77 is an end view in cross section of another valve according tothe present invention;

FIG. 78 is a side view of the valve of FIG. 77;

FIG. 79 is a pictorial view of a flow sensor according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 80 is a top view of the flow sensor of FIG. 79;

FIG. 81 is a pictorial view of another flow sensor according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 82 is a pictorial view of still another flow sensor according tothe present invention; and

FIG. 83 is a pictorial view of yet another flow sensor according to thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, an arrangement for supplying, testing anddraining a fire suppression water sprinkler system includes a mainconduit 30 for supplying water. The conduit 30 supplies a branch conduit32 by way of a Tee fitting 34. A supply valve 36, according to thepresent invention, is provided for the branch conduit 32 with the supplyvalve 36 operable to permit or to interrupt the flow of water throughthe branch conduit 32.

The supply valve 36 has an inlet 66 which is connected to the branchconduit 32 and a first outlet 64 which is connected to a plurality ofindividual water sprinklers (not shown) through a piping arrangementincluding a conduit 33. The supply valve 36 also has a second outlet 68which may be connected to a drain. The supply valve 36 is preferablyprovided at a location which is physically lower than the pipingarrangement and the plurality of individual water sprinklers downstreamof the supply valve 36 which are supplied with water by the branchconduit 32. In this way, the entire water sprinkler system downstream ofthe supply valve 36 may be drained as desired through the second outlet68 of the supply valve 36.

As is conventional in the art, the individual fire sprinklers (notshown) are provided with a member that melts when the ambienttemperature reaches a predetermined level indicative of a fire. Uponmelting, the member opens the fire sprinkler to spray water to suppressthe fire.

When it is desired to replace one or more of the individual watersprinklers, the valve 36 is closed and the water sprinkler system ispreferably drained through the second outlet 68 of the supply valve 36,so that the removal of one or more of the individual water sprinklerswill not result in a flow of water through the fitting for the watersprinkler.

The inlet 66 of the supply valve 36 is threaded onto a section of pipein the branch conduit 32. Likewise, the first outlet 64 is threaded ontoa section of pipe in the arrangement of individual water sprinklersdownstream of the supply valve 36. Other arrangements, such as boltedflanges or grooved end couplings for connecting the inlet of the supplyvalve 36 to the branch conduit 32 and for connecting the first outlet 64to the arrangement of individual water sprinklers will be readilyobvious to one skilled in the art.

The second outlet 68 of the supply valve 36 is provided with a pair ofintegral sight glasses 52 which are threadably received at two openingsthat are separated from each other by an angle of about 90 degrees.Alternatively, the sight glasses may be omitted or may be provided in aseparate housing which is provided downstream of the second outlet 68 ofthe supply valve 36.

As shown in FIG. 1, it is preferred that the sight glasses 52 be offset45 degrees to either side of a plane passing through a longitudinal axisof the valve 36 and the second outlet 68. However, it is understood thatthe primary considerations in determining the orientation of the sightglasses are the relationship between the housing and any obstructions,such as walls, that may interfere with a user's access to the sightglasses, and the ease of visibility of a flow through the sight glassesin any given orientation.

By employing the preferred sight glass arrangement, the visualobservation of flow through the valve 36 is enhanced. For example, alight may be directed into one of the sight glasses furthest from theperson checking the flow condition so as to illuminate the inside of thesight glass housing thus permitting the person to easily see the flowcondition therein, typically by the passage of air bubbles through thesight glass housing.

The second outlet 68 of the supply valve 36 may be connected directly toa drain (not shown). Alternatively, the second outlet 68 of the supplyvalve 36 may be left unconnected. In this way, the flow of water throughthe second outlet 68 of the supply valve 36 would be visually observedwithout the use of a sight glass. If, however, no visual inspection ofthe flow of water is necessary, the second outlet of the supply valve 36may be connected directly to drain.

The supply valve 36 may be provided with a pressure gauge (not shown) byway of a pressure port 58. The pressure gauge is provided adjacent thefirst outlet for the supply valve and senses the pressure in the supplyvalve 36 at the first outlet of the valve. If the pressure gauge 56 isomitted, a plug 60 is threadably received by the pressure port 58 or apressure relief valve may be provided.

With reference now to FIG. 2, the housing 62 of the supply valve 36according to the present invention has three threaded openings 64, 66and 68 which are coplanar. The openings 64 and 66 are colinear and theopening 68 is arranged perpendicularly with respect to the other twoopenings 64, 66. When in use as in the arrangement of FIG. 1, the middleopening 68 is the outlet to drain and the opening 64 is the outlet tothe arrangement of sprinklers. The opening 66 is connected to the supplyconduit as described above.

A valve actuator mechanism 82 is provided to permit manual operation ofthe valve. A flow switch mechanism 38 is provided generally opposite tothe valve actuator mechanism as described more fully below.

With reference to FIG. 5, the valve actuator mechanism 82 includes anindicator 108 which has three positions denoted by the legends "open","test", and "drain & off".

With reference to FIG. 11, the valve actuator arrangement 82 includes ashaft 110 with a worm gear to drive a turn wheel 112. The turn wheel 112is provided on a valve actuator member 114 which when rotated moves avalve member 84 within the housing 62 of the supply valve 36.

The valve actuator arrangement is conventional and is typically found inconnection with butterfly valves. Local regulations typically requirethat the valve member in a supply valve for a fire protection watersprinkler system be unable to move between a closed position and a fullyopen position in less than a preselected period of time. A suitable,conventional gear operator and valve actuator provides the required timedelay in valve member movement so as to prevent the supply valve frombeing suddenly opened or closed. Such a sudden opening or closing of thesupply valve can result in a harmful shock to the water supply system.

The indicator 108 is arranged to move with the valve actuator 114. Theindicator 108 points to the appropriate legend to show the orientationof the valve member within the housing. If desired, the gear operatormay also be provided with an electric tamper switch 116 which canindicate the orientation of the valve member to a remote location (as bythe electrical wires 118) and may also sound an alarm to indicate thatthe supply valve has been closed or is in other than a full openposition.

Suitable, conventional apparatus for moving the valve member and forelectrically indicating the orientation of the valve member is providedby the Milwaukee Valve Company, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wis. in connectionwith a Butterball "slow-close" butterfly valve. Other suitable,conventional arrangements for the valve actuator and for the tamperswitch may be utilized as will be readily apparent to one skilled in theart. For example, the tamper switch function may be provided by amicroswitch provided in the gearbox of the actuator.

In order to comply with local ordinance, it may be necessary to providea flag or other indication of the configuration of the valve. Suchindicators are conventional and may be provided as desired.

Integral with the supply valve 36 is provided a water flow switch 38.With reference to FIG. 11, the water flow switch 38 includes a paddle120 or other member (not shown) which extends into the interior chamberof the housing 62 of the supply valve 36. The paddle 120 includes ashaft 122 which is received within a threaded opening 124 in the housing62. The threaded opening 124 in the housing 62 preferably is providedcoaxially with a turning axis of the valve member 84 of the supplyvalve. In this way, the paddle 120 may be deflected by a flow of waterfrom the inlet 66 through either the first outlet 64 or through thesecond outlet 68.

Deflection of the paddle 120 closes a switch in a suitable, conventionalmanner to provide a signal by way of a pair of electrical wires (seeFIG. 15). Deflection of the paddle to indicate flow through the inletmay be used to trigger a fire alarm or to alert a fire department.

In the preferred embodiment, the paddle of the flow sensor is providedcentrally within the valve member 82. In this way, a single flow sensormay be used to indicate a flow of water through the first outlet (i.e.,in the event of a fire) and may also indicate a flow of water throughthe second outlet as in a test operation. In this way, the need for thesight glasses may be obviated unless required by local ordinance.

The paddle is inserted into the central portion of the ball valve member82 by curling the paddle into a tube and inserting the tube through thethreaded opening 124. The paddle then uncurls when properly positionedin the central portion of the ball valve member. The paddle 120 may beconfigured so as to substantially cover the entire passageway throughthe ball valve member, as shown in FIG. 13. Preferably, however, and asmay be necessary to comply with local ordinances, the paddle may beconfigured with as little cross-sectional area as possible so as tominimize the potential obstruction of the passageway yet still provide areliable indication of flow through the passageway (when only a singlewater sprinkler has opened). For example, the physical size of thepaddle may be substantially smaller than the cross-sectional diameter ofthe inlet. In addition, the paddle may be oriented at an angle (otherthan perpendicular) relative to the direction of flow from the inlet. Insuch an arrangement, the effective cross-sectional area of the paddlewill be reduced. A suitable, conventional flow switch is provided byGrinnell Corporation as model VSR-D.

With reference now to FIG. 10, the valve member or ball member 84 isreceived within the interior chamber of the housing 62 of the supplyvalve 36. The housing 62 is configured so as to receive the ball member84 through the opening 64 which is connected to the arrangement of watersprinklers. A first annular seal is provided adjacent to the ball member84 at the inlet 66 of the valve. The first annular seal 130 preferablyhas an annular lip about an inner surface of the seal to sealinglyconform to the spherical shape of the ball member 84.

A seat 132 is provided adjacent to the ball member 84 at the firstoutlet 64. The seat 132 is relatively rigid in comparison with a sealand a resilient member such as a spring may be provided between the seatand a threaded ball member retainer 134 to snugly urge the ball. memberagainst the first seal when the assembly has been completed. In thisway, leakage is prevented or minimized through the valve 36 when in the"drain & off" configuration. Because of the configuration of the valvearrangement, even if the valve should leak slightly when in the "drain &off" configuration, the water from the inlet would be directed to thedrain through the outlet 68 and would not pass through the arrangementof sprinkler heads downstream of the supply valve.

The retainer 134 and one or more of the threaded openings 64, 66, 68 areprovided with a hexagonal peripheral surface so as to facilitateassembly and disassembly of the supply valve 36.

An annular seal 136 is also provided adjacent to the ball member at thesecond outlet 68. The seal 136 preferably has an annular lip providedabout an inner surface of the seal to sealingly conform to the sphericalshape of the ball member 84. The seal 136 is arranged so as to seal theball member with respect to the second outlet when the valve is in the"open" configuration.

Other suitable, conventional housing arrangements may be utilized asdesired. For example, a three piece casting which is bolted togetherduring assembly may be economically worthwhile for certain size valvesaccording to the present invention. Such a three piece valve housing mayalso facilitate servicing and repair of the valve, as needed.

The ball member 84 is provided with a slot 98 (see FIG. 3) which isadapted to receive a lowermost tab 100 of the valve actuator or stem114. The stem is inserted into the valve housing 62 through an opening103 which is perpendicular to the openings 64, 66, 68. The stem 114 isrotated by the gear operator 82. Suitable packing may be provided forthe stem 114 as desired.

With reference to FIG. 10, the ball member 84 is provided with a firstport 140 having a cross-sectional area corresponding to the openingprovided by one of the individual sprinklers in the fire suppressionwater sprinkler system. The first port 140 communicates with the secondand third ports 144, 146 provided in the ball member 84. The second andthird ports 144, 146 have a cross-sectional area which is relativelylarge in comparison with the first port 140 so that the second and thirdports can quickly supply water to the arrangement of sprinklers in theevent of a fire. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the first, second andthird ports are coplanar so that rotation of the ball member about anaxis perpendicular to all three ports can selectively ring the portsinto (and out of) communication with the inlet and two outlets of thesupply valve.

If desired, the slot 98 provided in the ball member 84 extends into theball member in a direction perpendicular to the directions in which thecentral axes of each of the openings 140, 144, 146 extend. The ballmember 84 may then be provided with a slot which is tapered along thesurface of the ball member to present a shape which is non-symmetricalabout a center line extending through the ball member in a directionparallel to the central axes of the first and third ports. This slot(not shown) is matable with a lowermost tab of the stem 114 so that theball member and stem may only engage each other when the slot and tab100 are aligned. This construction ensures that the ball member portsare properly oriented with respect to the openings in the supply valve.

While the preferred embodiments as described in the present applicationinclude a spherical shaped valve which is of solid construction exceptfor the various passageways, the valve member may have a relatively thinwall construction (see FIG. 4) which may be cast or machined asappropriate. In such a thin walled construction, the valve ports wouldhave the same configuration as the peripheral configuration of the portsprovided in an otherwise solid ball valve member. In addition, thepresent invention may be adaptable to other suitable, conventional valveconfigurations.

with reference now to FIG. 10, the ball valve member 84 according to thepresent invention includes first, second and third ports 140, 144, and146. The ports may be provided in the solid ball member in any suitable,conventional manner such as by drilling. The generally solid ball member84 is completely interchangeable with the thin-walled ball member 84' ofFIG. 4 and only differs in its internal construction. The solid ballmember weighs more and may therefore be more costly to manufacture.However, the solid ball may be manufactured more readily, at least inrelatively small quantities.

Other valve arrangements are also within the scope of the claims. Forexample, a plug valve (not shown) wherein the valve member comprises atruncated cone may be modified in accordance with the present inventionby providing first, second and third ports in the valve member in themanner disclosed above.

In the ball valve member 84 of FIG. 10, the second port 144 has across-sectional diameter which corresponds to the cross-sectionaldiameter of the conduit 32 and the inlet opening 66. The third port 146has a cross-sectional opening which is at least as large as the secondport 144 in order to permit a fully opened flow of water through thevalve. when in the "open" configuration. In the preferred embodiment,however, the third opening 146 is substantially larger than the secondopening 144.

As shown in FIG. 10, the third opening 146 preferably extends to the "12o'clock" position in the valve member when the valve is in the "open"configuration. The first port 140 is provided at approximately the "5o'clock" position and is arranged so as to be located between the seat132 and the second seal. 136 when the valve is in the "open"configuration. In this way the outlet 68 remains sealed when the valveis in the "open" configuration. In order to permit the outlet 68 to besealed in such a configuration, the second outlet 68 has been madesubstantially smaller than the inlet 66 and the first outlet 64. Sincethe second outlet 68 only provides the test and drain functions, thereduced size of the second outlet in comparison with the inlet and thefirst outlet does not present any difficulty. Moreover, industrystandards indicate that the drain piping need only have across-sectional dimension which is about one-half the cross-sectionaldimension of the supply piping.

With reference now to FIG. 20, the apply valve 36 has the indicator 108in the "open" position. The ball member is positioned by the gearoperator so that a solid portion of the spherical outer surface of theball. member is oriented toward the second outlet 68 of the supplyvalve. With reference to FIG. 21, the second port 144 is positionedadjacent the inlet 66 of the supply valve with the third port 146positioned adjacent the first outlet 64. Accordingly, water is permittedto flow through the inlet 66 to the first outlet 64 at the firstpreselected flow rate (the fully open flow rate). Water is not permittedto flow through the ball member from the inlet of the valve to thesecond outlet 68.

A flow of water through the first outlet will deflect the paddle of theflow sensor which will in turn cause the flow sensor to provide a signalto indicate the flow through the first outlet. After the system has beenfully supplied with water and is in a static configuration, the flow ofwater from the inlet to the first outlet will indicate that at least oneof the sprinklers has opened, typically as a result of a fire.

With reference now to FIG. 22, the gear operator has been moved and theindicator now points to the "test" position. With reference to FIG. 23,the ball member 82 has been rotated clockwise sufficiently to permit thefirst port 140 of the ball member to provide communication between theinlet 66 and the second outlet 68. Water is therefore free to flowthrough the second port 144 through the relatively small opening of thefirst port and then through the outlet of the valve. At this timecommunication (albeit somewhat restricted) is still provided between theinlet and the first opening 64. This communication permits the pressurein the system to be sensed by the pressure gauge, if provided, at thefirst outlet during a test operation. A flow of water through the secondoutlet during the test operation will deflect the paddle of the flowsensor which will in turn cause the flow sensor to provide a signal toindicate the flow through the second outlet.

With reference now to FIG. 24, the gear operator has again been moved torotate the ball member further in a clockwise direction. The indicatornow points to the "drain" legend. With reference to FIG. 25, a clockwiserotation of the ball member 84 has presented a portion of the third port146 adjacent the first outlet of the valve and has also presented aportion of the third port 146 adjacent the second outlet of the supplyvalve. A solid portion of the ball member is provided adjacent the inlet66 of the supply valve to interrupt the supply of water. Water is thenfree to flow through the second and third ports from the first outlet tothe second outlet of the valve.

With reference now to FIG. 26 another arrangement for supplying,testing, and draining a suppression water sprinkler system includes asupply valve 36' having a modified ball valve member 84'. The supplyvalve and arrangement of FIG. 26 is otherwise identical to that of FIG.1.

With reference to FIG. 27, the ball valve member 84' is provided withfirst, second, and third ports 140', 144', and 146' about a periphery ofthe ball valve member. The second port 144' has a cross-sectionaldiameter which corresponds to the cross-sectional diameter of theconduit 32 and the inlet opening 66. The second port extends over anangle of about 60 degrees, i.e., from 240 degrees to 300 degrees whenthe valve is oriented in the "open" configuration. The third port 146'has a cross sectional opening which is at least as large as the secondport 144' in order to permit a fully opened flow of water through thevalve when in the "open" configuration. In the embodiment of FIG. 27,however, the third opening 146' is somewhat smaller than the thirdopening 146 of the embodiment of FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 27, the third opening 146' preferably extends fromabout 27.5 degrees to about 120 degrees when the valve is in the "open"configuration. The first port 140' is provided at approximately the "5o'clock" position and is arranged so as to be located between the seat132 and the second seal 136 when the valve is in the "open"configuration. In this way the outlet 68 remains sealed when the valveis in the "open" configuration.

In order to permit the outlet 68 to be sealed in such a configuration,the second outlet 68 has been made substantially smaller than the inlet66 and the first outlet 64 and is also offset in the downstreamdirection. The first port 140' preferably extends from about 125 degreesto about 140 degrees when the valve is in the "open" configuration. Thesecond outlet for the valve preferably has its most upstream edgelocated at about 187.5 degrees.

With reference now to FIG. 28, the supply valve 36' has the indicator108 in the "open" position. The ball member is positioned by the gearoperator so that a solid portion of the spherical outer surface of theball member is oriented toward the second outlet 68 of the supply valve.With reference to FIG. 29, the second port 144' is positioned adjacentthe inlet 66 of the supply valve with the third port 146' positionedadjacent the first outlet 64. Accordingly, water is permitted to flowthrough the inlet 66 to the first outlet 64 at the first preselectedflow rate (the fully open flow rate). Water is not permitted to flowthrough the ball member from the inlet of the valve to the second outlet68.

A flow of water through the first outlet will deflect the paddle of theflow sensor which will in turn cause the flow sensor to provide a signalto indicate the flow through the first outlet. After the system has beenfully supplied with water and is in a static configuration, the flow ofwater from the inlet to the first outlet will indicate that at least oneof the sprinklers has opened, typically as a result of a fire.

With reference now to FIG. 30, the gear operator has been moved and theindicator now points to the "test" position. With reference to FIG. 31,the ball member 84' has been rotated clockwise sufficiently to permitthe first port 140' of the ball member to provide communication betweenthe inlet 66 and the second outlet 68. Water is therefore free to flowthrough the second port 144' through the relatively small opening of thefirst port and then through the outlet of the valve. At this timecommunication (albeit somewhat restricted) is still provided between theinlet and the first opening 64. This communication permits the pressurein the system to be sensed by the pressure gauge, if provided, at thefirst outlet during a test operation. A flow of water through the secondoutlet during the test operation will deflect the paddle of the flowsensor which will in turn cause the flow sensor to provide a signal toindicate the flow through the second outlet.

With reference now to FIG. 32, the gear operator has again been moved torotate the ball member further in a clockwise direction. The indicatornow points to an "off" legend rather than to a "drain" legend. This isbecause one of the purposes and advantages of the embodiment of FIGS.26-33 is the ability to shut off both the inlet of the valve and thefirst outlet of the valve when desired.

With reference to FIG. 33, a clockwise rotation of the ball member 84'has presented a solid portion of the ball member 84' adjacent to theinlet 66 of the valve and has also presented a solid portion of the ballmember 84' adjacent to the first outlet 64 of the valve. Therefore, thesecond outlet 68 has been isolated from both the inlet and from thefirst outlet. Accordingly, the flow switch 38 may be removed from thevalve and repaired or replaced as desired without requiring the systemof water sprinklers to be drained.

In order to drain the system of water sprinklers, it may be possible tomove the actuator slightly so as to position the valve member to providelimited communication between the first and second outlets (through thethird port 146') while still blocking communication between the inletand the outlets. However, such an arrangement may provide a relativelyslow drainage of the system.

If desired, the supply valve according to the present invention could beconfigured so that the inlet is oriented toward the right rather thantoward the left. In addition, it may be desirable to orient the supplyvalve with the inlet directed. upwardly or downwardly. The modificationsto the supply valve so as to accommodate these changes in orientationare believed to be readily apparent in view of the specification anddrawings herein.

If desired, it may be possible to provide the stem 114 as a "blow-outproof stem" which is inserted into the opening of the valve housingthrough the first outlet 64. The opening of the valve housing to receivethe stem is preferably configured so as to have an interior shoulderwhich receives a corresponding flange of the stem. In this way, in theevent that the threads which retain the gear actuator on the valvehousing should fail, the stem would not be propelled outwardly by reasonof the water pressure acting on the stem.

With reference now to FIG. 14, a conventional ball valve 150 includes ahousing 152 which has an interior chamber 154 which receives a ballvalve member 156. As shown in FIG. 14, the left side of the ball valve150 is an inlet for the valve and threadably receives a pipe 158. Thepipe 158 serves to retain the ball valve member 156 in the interiorchamber 154 by urging an annular seat 160 against the ball valve member.The ball valve member 156 in turn is urged against an annular seal 162which abuts a shoulder in the interior chamber of the valve housing. Theright side of the valve 150 provides an outlet for the valve andthreadably receives a pipe 164.

If desired, a separate ball valve retainer (see, for example, the member166 in FIG. 27) could be provided to retain the ball valve member in theinterior chamber of the valve housing.

The ball valve member has a passageway 168 which passes completelythrough the ball valve member in order to provide communication betweenthe inlet and the outlet of the valve. The ball valve member isconnected to a suitable, conventional valve actuator such as a valvestem (see the valve stem 114 of FIG. 11) and an actuating lever or othermechanism (such as a lever or the shaft 110 of FIG. 11) which enablesthe ball valve member to be rotated about a central axis of the ballvalve member. In this way, the ball valve member may be rotated so as toprovide full communication between the inlet and the outlet, tocompletely block communication between the inlet and the outlet and toprovide communication at a restricted or limited extent between theinlet and the outlet.

To this extent, the ball valve 150 of FIG. 14 is conventional and isintended to represent not only suitable, conventional ball valves butalso tapered plug valves and cylindrical valves and any other valveshaving the general configuration of a housing, an interior chamber and avalve member which is arranged for rotational movement about a centralaxis of the valve member with a passageway (passing through the centralaxis) being provided in the valve member.

According to the present invention, a flow switch may be provided in thevalve 150 with the flow switch including a paddle 120 which is connectedto a shaft 122. The paddle 120 and the shaft 122 are inserted through anopening 170 which is provided along the central axis of the valve member156 and colinear with the stem or valve actuator of the valve member. Inthis way, the valve member is free to rotate about the paddle 120 andthe shaft 122 of the flow switch.

The opening 170 may be slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft sothat the paddle 120 may be wrapped about the shaft during insertion ofthe paddle 120 and the shaft 122 into the valve housing. The paddle willthen unroll after passing beyond the wall of the valve housing andpreferably substantially fills the passageway through the valve member.If desired, however, the paddle may be oriented at an angle other thanperpendicular to the direction of flow or may be of substantiallysmaller size than the cross-sectional diameter of the passageway throughthe valve member so as not to unduly restrict the flow through the valvemember.

With reference to FIG. 15, the shaft 122 is configured to pivot about anintermediate portion of the shaft in response to a flow through thevalve member. The shaft carries a first electrical contact which isprovided closely adjacent to but spaced away from a second electricalcontact. When the flow has deflected the paddle and the shaftsufficiently, the first and the second contacts close to complete anelectrical circuit which supplies a signal such as an alarm. In thisway, the flow switch may indicate the presence of flow through the valvemember either at the location of the valve or at a remote location.

With reference to FIG. 16, a conventional three way ball valve 180includes a housing 182 which has an interior chamber 184 which receivesa ball valve member 186. As shown in FIG. 16, the valve housing hasthree openings. Two of the openings 188, 190, are colinear with oneanother and the third opening 192 is perpendicular with respect to thefirst and second openings 188, 190. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 16,the third opening 192 is an inlet for the valve and threadably receivesa pipe 194. The first and second openings 188, 190 provide first andsecond outlets for the valve 180 with the second opening 188 receiving athreaded pipe 196 and the third opening receiving a threaded pipe 198.The pipe 198 serves to retain the ball valve member 186 in the interiorchamber 184 by urging an annular seal 200 against the ball valve member.The ball valve member 186 in turn is urged against an annular seal 202which abuts a shoulder in the interior chamber of the valve housing.

In the three way ball valve of FIG. 16, the ball valve member isprovided with seals 200, 202 on either side of the ball valve member andadjacent to the first and second outlets of the valve. In this way, theflow from the inlet may be selectively directed to either the firstoutlet or to the second outlet and communication between the inlet andthe other outlet will be interrupted. Other suitable, conventional flowconfigurations for a three way ball valve may be utilized as desireddepending upon the particular purpose for which the valve is beingutilized.

If desired, a separate ball valve retainer (see, for example, the member166 in FIG. 27) could be provided to retain the ball valve member in theinterior chamber of the valve housing instead of the pipe 198.

The ball valve member has a passageway 204 which is preferably L-shapedand which passes completely through the ball valve member in order toprovide communication between the inlet and the outlet of the valve. Theball valve member is connected to a suitable, conventional valveactuator such as a valve stem (see the valve stem 114 of FIG. 11) and anactuating lever or other mechanism (such as a lever or the shaft 110 ofFIG. 11) which enables the ball valve member to be rotated about acentral axis of the ball valve member. In this way, the ball valvemember may be rotated so as to provide full communication between theinlet and the first outlet or to provide full communication between theinlet and the second outlet.

To this extent, the three way ball valve 180 of FIG. 16 is conventionaland is intended to represent not only suitable, conventional three wayball valves but also three way tapered plug valves and three waycylindrical valves and any other valves having the general configurationof a housing, an interior chamber and a valve member which is arrangedfor rotational movement about a central axis of the valve member with apassageway (passing through the central axis) being provided in thevalve member.

According to the present invention, a flow switch may be provided in thevalve 150 in the same manner as described above in connection with theembodiment of FIG. 14 with the flow switch including a paddle 120 whichis connected to a shaft 122. The paddle 120 and the shaft 122 areinserted through an opening 170 which is provided along the central axisof the valve member 156 and colinear with the stem or valve actuator ofthe valve member. In this way, the valve member is free to rotate aboutthe paddle 120 and the shaft 122 of the flow switch.

With reference to FIG. 18, the shaft 122 is configured to pivot both tothe left and to the right about an intermediate portion of the shaft inresponse to a flow through the valve member. The shaft carries a firstelectrical contact which is provided closely adjacent to but spaced awayfrom second and third electrical contacts. When the flow through thefirst outlet 188 has deflected the paddle and the shaft sufficiently tothe right, the first and the second contacts close to complete anelectrical circuit which supplies a signal such as an alarm. When theflow through the second outlet 190 has deflected the paddle and theshaft sufficiently to the left, the first and the third contacts closeto complete an electrical circuit which supplies a signal such as analarm. Preferably, the second and third contacts are arranged so that afirst predetermined signal is provided when the first contact closeswith the second contact and a second (different) predetermined signal isprovided when the first contact closes with the third contact.

In this way, the flow switch may indicate the presence of flow throughthe first outlet and independently indicate the presence of flow throughthe second outlet of the valve member either at the location of thevalve or at a remote location.

With reference now to FIG. 34, another arrangement for testing anddraining a fire suppression water sprinkler system is disclosed whereina supply valve 242 is provided in communication with a branch conduit 32of a main conduit 30. The valve 242 has an inlet 264 which is threadedonto a nipple 46 which is in turn threaded into the Tee fitting 40.Other arrangements for connecting the inlet of the valve to the branchconduit 32 will be readily obvious to one skilled in the art. An outlet268 of the valve 242 is connected to the fitting 269 having a pair ofsight glasses 271 threadably received at two couplings of the fittingwhich are separated from each other by an angle of about 90 degrees.

Another outlet 266 of the valve 242 is connected to an arrangement offire suppression water sprinklers 243.

With reference now to FIG. 35, the valve 242 according to the presentinvention includes a housing 262 having the three openings 264, 266 and268 which are coplanar. The openings 264 and 268 are colinear and theopening 266 is arranged perpendicularly with respect to the otheropenings 264, 268.

A stop plate 272 is mounted on the valve housing as by a pair of screws274 which are threadably received by a mounting bracket 276 provided inthe valve housing. The stop plate includes first and second shoulders278, 280 which limit the movement of a control lever 282. The controllever is permitted by the stop plate to travel between "open", "test"and "drain & off" positions.

With reference now to FIG. 36, the valve 242 includes a ball member 284which is received within an interior chamber of the housing. The valvehousing is configured so as to receive the ball member 284 through thefirst opening 264. The ball member 284 is carried by a first annularseal 286 and by a second annular seal 286' both of which have an innersurface 288 that conforms to the spherical shape of the ball member 284.The seal 286' is provided adjacent to the inlet of the valve (i.e., theopening 264) since the valve of FIG. 35 is arranged to close the inlet264 with respect to both of the outlets 266, 268.

The seals 286, 286' also have a peripheral surface 290 which is snuglyurged into the interior chamber of the housing 262 by the ball member284 when the assembly has been completed and which is forced against theinterior chamber of the housing 262 by the pressure exerted on the seals286, 286' by the ball member 284. In addition, each of the seals 286,286' has an outer surface 292. The seal 286 which is positioned in theinterior chamber of the housing ahead. of the ball member abuts ashoulder (not shown) of the interior housing. The seal 286' which ispositioned in the interior chamber behind the ball member 284 duringassembly is retained in position by a threaded retainer 270.

The ball member 284 is provided with a slot 298 which is adapted toreceive a lowermost tab 300 of a stem 302. The stem is inserted into thevalve housing 262 through a threaded opening 303 which is perpendicularto the openings 264 and 268 and colinear with the axis of the opening266. The stem is provided with an annular bearing 304 and is sealed by apacking 306. A threaded retainer 308 maintains the stem in secureengagement with the slot of the ball member 284.

In a more preferred embodiment, the stem 302 is a "blow-out proof stem"which is inserted into the opening 303 through the first opening 264.The opening 303 is preferably configured so as to have an interiorshoulder which receives a corresponding flange of the stem 302. In thisway, in the event that the threaded retainer 308 should fail, the stemwould not be propelled outwardly by reason of the water pressure actingon the stem. If desired or if required by ordinance, the stem may beactuated by an arrangement such as disclosed in connection with thesupply valve of FIG. 1.

The stop plate 272 is then mounted on the housing by way of the screws274. The control lever 282 is then mounted on the stem 302 by a nut 310.The control lever 282 has a depending tab 312 which selectively abutsthe stops 278, 280 of the stop plate 272 to limit movement of thecontrol lever. In this way, movement of the ball member 284 is likewiselimited to movement between the "open", "test" and "drain & off"positions

In FIG. 36, the ball member 284 is provided with a first port 324 havinga cross-sectional area corresponding to the opening provided by one ofthe individual sprinklers in the fire suppression water sprinklersystem. The first port 324 communicates with second, third and fourthports 326, 327, 328 provided in the ball member 284. The second, third,and fourth ports 326, 327, 328 have a cross-sectional area which isrelatively large in comparison with the first port 324 so that thesecond, third, and fourth ports can fully supply and quickly drain thewater sprinkler system. The first, third, and fourth ports are coplanarwith the second port 326 being perpendicular to the other three ports.Alternatively, the fourth port 328 may be considered to be perpendicularto the other three coplanar ports.

In the present embodiment, the second port 326 is always incommunication with the first outlet 266 of the valve.

If desired, the ball member 284 may be provided with a slot (not shown)which is tapered along the surface of the ball member to present a shapewhich is non-symmetrical about the turning axis of the ball member 284.This slot 298 is matable with the lowermost tab 300 of the stem 302 sothat the ball member and stem may only engage each other when the slot298 and tab 300 are aligned. This construction ensures that the ballmember ports are properly oriented with respect to the openings in thevalve 242 as discussed above.

With reference now to FIG. 37, the valve 242 of FIG. 34 (with the sightglass housing not shown) has the control lever 282 in the "open"position. With reference to FIG. 38, the second port 326 is positionedadjacent the second opening 266 and the third port 328 is positionedadjacent the first opening 264 (the inlet for the valve). The otheroutlet 268 of the valve is closed by the solid portion of the ball valvemember 284 which is positioned adjacent the seal 288. Accordingly, wateris not permitted to flow through the ball member from the inlet of thevalve to the second outlet 268 but a fully open communication isprovided between the inlet of the valve and the first outlet 266.

With reference now to FIG. 39, the control lever has been rotatedcounterclockwise through 90 degrees to the "test" position. Withreference to FIG. 40, a counterclockwise rotation of the ball member 284through 90 degrees has presented the first port 324 adjacent the secondoutlet 268 of the valve. Water is therefore free to flow through therelatively large port 326 of the ball valve through the relatively smallopening of the first port 324 and then through the second outlet 268 ofthe valve to test the valve. Simultaneously, communication is alsoprovided between the inlet and the first outlet 266 by the ports 327 and326.

With reference now to FIG. 41, the control lever has been rotatedcounterclockwise through an additional 90 degrees to the "drain & off"position. With reference to FIG. 42, a counterclockwise rotation of theball member 284 through an additional 90 degrees has presented the thirdport 328 adjacent the outlet of the valve. Water is then free to flowthrough the second and fourth ports from the first outlet 266 to thesecond outlet 268 to drain the valve. Simultaneously, a solid portion ofthe ball valve member is provided adjacent the seal 286' to close theinlet of the valve with respect to the first and the second outlets.

The valve 242 of FIG. 34 may be oriented as desired so that the firstoutlet of the valve is directed in whatever direction is mostconvenient. Typically, the valve is oriented with the inlet provided atthe bottom of the valve with the first outlet extending upwardly.Therefore, although the valve 242 is shown in FIG. 37 to be oriented asa "left-handed" valve, it is to be understood that the valve 242 may bemade oriented in whatever manner is desired. If necessary, the stopplate and the orientation of the handle 282 may be readily reconfiguredas appropriate for the orientation of the valve.

With reference now to FIG. 43 another supply valve 348 according to thepresent invention is provided with an inlet 350 and a first outlet 352.A second outlet 354 is provided with the inlet and the first and secondoutlets being oriented at 90 degrees with respect to one another.

The valve 348 may be provided with a pressure port 356 and a pressuregauge 358 as desired. If a pressure gauge is not required, the pressureport. may be closed by a suitable plug, not shown. A valve actuator 360is provided opposite to the inlet 350 of the valve. A stop plate isprovided in connection with the actuator in order to limit movement ofthe actuator as appropriate.

With reference now to FIG. 44, the inlet 350 of the valve 348 isconnected to a source of water through a conduit 32. The first outlet ofthe valve is connected to an arrangement of fire suppression watersprinklers 364.

The valve 348 includes a valve housing 366 having an interior chamberwhich receives a ball valve member 368 (see FIG. 46). The actuator 360for the ball valve member is identical to the actuator 282 described inconnection with the supply valve of FIG. 35.

With reference to FIG. 47, the second outlet 354 of the valve member maybe provided with a sight glass arrangement such as has been described inconnection with the valve of FIG. 35. The second outlet 354 may beconnected directly to a drain (not shown) or may be left unconnected. Ifnot directly connected to a drain, the need for a sight glassarrangement is significantly reduced or may be completely eliminated.

The ball valve member 368 (see FIG. 48 and FIG. 56) includes a firstport 370 having a cross-sectional diameter corresponding to the openingprovided by a single fire suppression water sprinkler when open. Theball valve member 368 also includes second and third ports 372, 374which each have a cross-sectional diameter relatively large incomparison with the cross sectional diameter of the first port 370.

With reference now to FIG. 55, the ball valve member 368 is receivedwithin an interior chamber of the housing of the valve. The valvehousing is configured so as to receive the ball member 368 through anopening 376 provided opposite and colinear with the first outlet 352.The ball member 368 is carried by an annular seal 386 and by an annularseat 386' both of which have an inner surface 388 that conforms to thespherical shape of the ball member 368. The seal 386 is providedadjacent to the first outlet of the valve (i.e., the opening 352) sincethe valve of FIG. 43 is arranged to close the inlet 350 with respect tothe first outlet 352.

The seat 386' may preferably be comprised of two portions which areseparated from one another by a gap of a few degrees. In this waycommunication between the inlet 350 and the opening 376 is maintainedregardless of the orientation of the ball valve member and the pressuremay be reliably sensed at the port 356. Alternatively, the pressure maybe sensed upstream of the ball valve member.

The valve 348 is also configured to seal the inlet with respect to thesecond outlet 354. Accordingly, the passageway through the second outletis of a reduced diameter and an annular seal 390 is provided adjacentthe second outlet 354 (see also FIG. 52). The passageway through thesecond outlet and the seal 390 are of a reduced diameter so as not tointerfere with the seal and seat 386, 386'.

With reference now to FIG. 49, the valve of the present embodiment isinitially in the "off" configuration. With reference to FIG. 50, thesecond port 372 is in communication with the inlet 350 of the valve andthe first outlet is sealed by a solid portion of the ball valve memberpositioned adjacent to the first outlet 352. Likewise, the secondoutlet. 354 is sealed by a solid portion of the ball valve memberpositioned adjacent to the second outlet of the valve. Accordingly,water is not permitted to flow through the ball member from the inlet ofthe valve to either the first outlet or the second outlet.

With reference now to FIG. 51, the control lever has been rotatedcounterclockwise through 90 degrees to the "test" position. Withreference to FIG. 52, a counterclockwise rotation of the ball member 368through 90 degrees has presented the first port 370 adjacent the secondoutlet 354 of the valve. Water is therefore free to flow through therelatively large port 372 of the ball valve through the relatively smallopening of the first port 324 and then through the second outlet 354 ofthe valve to test the valve. Simultaneously, communication remainsblocked between the inlet and the first outlet 266 by the solid portionof the ball valve member which is positioned adjacent to the firstoutlet. When the testing of the valve has been completed, the handle isrotated in the reverse direction to return the valve to the "off"configuration of FIG. 49.

With reference now to FIG. 53, the control lever has been rotatedclockwise (from the "off" position) through 90 degrees to the "supply"position. With reference to FIG. 54, a clockwise rotation of the ballmember 368 through 90 degrees has presented the third port 374 adjacentthe first outlet of the valve. Water is then free to flow through thesecond and third ports from the inlet to the first outlet 352 to supplythe water sprinklers with water. Simultaneously, a solid portion of theball valve member is provided adjacent the seal 390 to maintain thesecond outlet in a closed configuration. Therefore, in the "supply"configuration, the inlet is in communication with the first outlet butis not in communication with the second outlet.

The valve of FIG. 43 has utility where the supply of water to anarrangement of fire suppression water sprinklers is to be preventeduntil the event of a fire. For example, it is conventional in navalships to have an arrangement of fire suppression sprinklers which do nothave a meltable member to maintain the sprinklers in a closedconfiguration until a fire should occur. Instead, the sprinklers are"open" and the supply of water under pressure to the arrangement ofwater sprinklers is interrupted until necessary, as in the event of afire.

Therefore, in the valve and arrangement of FIG. 44, the valve wouldnormally be in the "off" configuration. In the event of a fire, thehandle would be rotated to the "supply" position to establishcommunication between the inlet and the arrangement of water sprinklers.When the fire has been extinguished, the handle would be returned to the"off" position.

When it is necessary to test the fire suppression system, the handle ismoved to the "test" position and the testing procedure is carried out inthe suitable, conventional manner. At the conclusion of the test, thehandle is returned to the "off" position. Especially if the valve ofFIG. 43 is used in a naval system, it is unnecessary to provide thesight glass arrangement downstream of the second outlet. This is becausethe second outlet may be directed overboard and the flow of water may bereadily observed. Likewise, the need for a pressure gauge in the valveof FIG. 43 for use in a naval system is unlikely.

The valve 348 of FIG. 43 may be oriented as desired so that the firstoutlet of the valve is directed in whatever direction is mostconvenient. Typically, the valve is to be oriented with the inletprovided horizontally and with the first outlet extending upwardly.Therefore, although the valve 348 is shown in FIG. 43 to be orientedwith the first outlet extending downwardly, it is to be understood thatthe valve 348 may be made to be oriented in whatever manner is desired.If necessary, the stop plate and the orientation of the handle 360 maybe readily reconfigured as appropriate for the orientation of the valve.

With reference now to FIG. 57, another arrangement for supplying,testing and draining a fire suppression water sprinkler system includesa main conduit 30 for supplying water. The conduit 30 supplies a branchconduit 32 by way of a Tee fitting 34. A supply valve 536, according tothe present invention, is provided for the branch conduit 32 with thesupply valve 536 operable to permit or to interrupt the flow of waterthrough the branch conduit 32.

Integral with the supply valve 536 is provided a water flow switch 538(see FIG. 62). With reference to FIG. 64, the water flow switch 538includes a paddle 501 or other member (not shown) which extends into aninterior chamber of the housing 562 of the supply valve 536. The paddle501 preferably has a first portion 502 and a second portion 503 whichare joined to one another along a shaft 504. The shaft is receivedwithin a threaded housing 505 which is in turn received within athreaded opening 506 in the housing 562. The threaded opening 506 in thehousing 562 preferably is provided coaxially with a turning axis of avalve member 584 of the supply valve. In this way, the first portion 502of the paddle 501 may be deflected by a flow of water through the firstoutlet 564 and the second portion 503 of the paddle may be deflected bya flow of water through the second outlet 568. The flow sensor includesa contact suitable, conventional contact arrangement such as isdisclosed in connection with FIGS. 15, 17, and 19 and the flow sensor isarranged to provide an electrical signal by way of electrical wires 507.Even though the valve has two outlets, it may be appropriate to providea signal or an alarm whenever there is a flow of water through thevalve. Therefore, it may only be necessary to have two wires to providethe electrical signal from the flow sensor. Deflection of the shaft toindicate flow through the first outlet may be used to trigger a firealarm or to alert a fire department.

In the preferred embodiment, the paddle of the flow sensor is providedcentrally within the valve member 582. In this way, a single flow sensormay be used to indicate a flow of water through the first outlet (i.e.,in the event of a fire) and may also indicate a flow of water throughthe second outlet as in a test operation. In this way, the need for thesight glasses may be obviated unless required by local ordinance.

The supply valve has an inlet 566 which is connected to the branchconduit 32 and a first outlet 564 which is connected to a plurality ofindividual water sprinklers (not shown). The supply valve 536 also has asecond outlet 568 which may be connected to a drain. The supply valve536 is preferably provided at a location which is physically lower thanthe portion of the branch conduit 32 downstream of the supply valve 536and also physically lower than all of the individual water sprinklersand the associated system of supply conduits which are supplied withwater by the branch conduit 32. In this way, the entire water sprinklersystem downstream of the supply valve 536 may be drained as desiredthrough the second outlet 568 of the supply valve 536.

When it is desired to replace one or more of the individual watersprinklers, the valve 536 is closed and the water sprinkler system ispreferably drained through the second outlet 568 of the supply valve536, so that the removal of one or more of the individual watersprinklers will not result in a flow of water through the fitting forthe water sprinkler.

The inlet 566 of the supply valve 536 is threaded onto a section of pipein the branch conduit 32. Likewise, the first outlet 564 is threadedonto a section of pipe in the arrangement of individual water sprinklersdownstream of the supply valve 536. Other arrangements for connectingthe inlet of the supply valve 536 to the branch conduit 32 and forconnecting the first outlet 564 to the arrangement of individual watersprinklers will be readily obvious to one skilled in the art.

The second outlet 568 of the supply valve 536 may be connected directlyto a drain (not shown). Alternatively, the second outlet 568 of thesupply valve 536 may be left unconnected. In this way, the flow of waterthrough the second outlet 568 of the supply valve 568 would be visuallyobserved without the use of a sight glass. If, however, no visualinspection of the flow of water is necessary, the second outlet of thesupply valve 568 may be connected directly to drain.

The supply valve 568 is provided with a pressure gauge 556 by way of apressure port 558. The pressure gauge is provided adjacent the firstoutlet for the supply valve and senses the pressure in the supply valve536 at the first outlet of the valve. If the pressure gauge 556 isomitted, a plug 560 is threadably received by the pressure port 58 (seeFIG. 63).

With reference now to FIG. 63, the housing 562 of the supply valve 536according to the present invention has three threaded openings 564, 566and 568 which are coplanar. The first opening 564 and the third opening568 are colinear with one another and the second opening 566 isperpendicular to the first and the third openings. When in use as in thearrangement of FIG. 57, the middle opening 566 is the inlet of thesupply valve and the first opening 564 is the outlet to the arrangementof sprinklers. The third opening 568 is typically connected to a drainas discussed above.

A valve actuator 582 includes a threaded shaft and turn wheel which arerotated to move a valve member 584 (see FIG. 11 and FIG. 12) within thehousing 562 of the supply valve 536. The valve actuator is connected tothe valve member 584 by way of a gear operator such as is typicallyfound in connection with butterfly valves. Local regulations typicallyrequire that the valve member in a supply valve for a fire protectionwater sprinkler system be unable to move between a closed position and afully open position in less than a preselected period of time. Asuitable, conventional gear operator and valve actuator provides therequired time delay in valve member movement so as to prevent the supplyvalve from being suddenly opened or closed. Such a sudden opening orclosing of the supply valve can result in a harmful shock to the watersupply system.

The gear operator is also provided with an indicator 508 which moveswith the valve member 582. The gear operator housing 509 includes threelegends, namely, "open", "test", and "off & drain". The indicator 508points to the appropriate legend to show the orientation of the valvemember within the housing. If desired, the gear operator may also beprovided with an electric switch which can indicate the orientation ofthe valve member to a remote location (as by the electrical wires 509)and may also sound an alarm to indicate that the supply valve has beenclosed. Suitable, conventional apparatus for moving the valve member andfor electrically indicating the orientation of the valve member isprovided by the Milwaukee Valve Company, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wis. inconnection with a Butterball "slow-close" butterfly valve.

With reference now to FIG. 63, the supply valve 536 includes the valvemember or ball member 584 which is received within the interior chamberof the housing 562 of the supply valve. In the valve 536 of thepreferred embodiment, the housing is configured so as to receive theball member 84 through the middle opening 566. The ball member 584 iscarried by an annular seat 586 and an annular seal 586' which have aninner surface 588 that conforms to the spherical shape of the ballmember 584.

The seat and the seal are provided on either side of the ball valvemember and a threaded retainer 587 which forms the inlet 566 for thesupply valve releasably maintains the ball member and associated seatand seal within the interior chamber of the housing. The retainer andone or more of the threaded openings 564, 566, 568 are provided with ahexagonal peripheral surface so as to facilitate assembly anddisassembly of the supply valve 536.

With reference to FIG. 63, the second outlet is also provided with aseal 586" which is used to seal the second outlet when the valve is inthe "open" configuration. In the "open" configuration, communication isprovided between the inlet and the first outlet but communication isblocked between the second outlet and both the inlet and the firstoutlet. The seal 586" may be of a reduced diameter and is received on ashoulder of the second outlet so as not to interfere with the seat 586and the seal 568'. Alternatively, the seat 586, the seal 586' and theseal 586" may be made as an integral member which is provided about theball valve prior to insertion through the inlet opening 566. It is onlynecessary that the second outlet be substantially closed when the valveis in the "open" and in the "off & drain" configurations since anyleakage through the second outlet will be directed away to the drain.

In addition, the ball and valve housing may be configured in an oversizemanner so that sufficient space is provided for the separate seals 586'and 586" In such an arrangement, the size of the second and third portson the periphery of the ball valve member will have the same actual sizebut since the ball member itself is oversized, the spacing between thefirst, second and third ports on the periphery of the ball valve memberwill be increased. With the increased spacing between the ports,separate seals can be readily accommodated at the inlet and at thesecond outlet to provide a reliable sealing arrangement although theoverall cost of the valve will be increased due to the oversized housingand oversized ball valve member. In such an oversized arrangement, therate of flow though the valve from the inlet to the first outlet, fromthe inlet to the second outlet and from the first outlet to the secondoutlet in the "supply", "test", and "off & drain" configurations isdetermined based upon the size of the supply conduit, the arrangement ofwater sprinklers downstream of the first outlet and by the size of thesprinklers themselves.

With reference again to FIG. 64, the ball member 584 is provided with aslot 598 which is adapted to receive a lowermost tab 600 of a stem 602.The stem is inserted into the valve housing 562 through an opening 603which is perpendicular to the openings 564, 566, 568. The stem 602 isrotated by the gear operator 509. The housing 511 for the gear operatoris releasably mounted on the supply valve housing by a plurality ofscrews 512 which pass through the housing of the gear operator and whichare in turn received by the supply valve housing. Suitable packing maybe provided for the stem 602 as desired.

With reference to FIG. 64, the ball member 584 is provided with a firstport 624 having a cross-sectional area corresponding to the openingprovided by one of the individual sprinklers in the fire suppressionwater sprinkler system. The first port 624 communicates with the secondand third ports 626, 628 provided in the ball member 584. The second andthird ports 626, 628 have a cross-sectional area which is relativelylarge in comparison with the first port 624 so that the second and thirdports can quickly supply water to the arrangement of sprinklers in theevent of a fire.

While the preferred embodiments as described in the present applicationinclude a spherical shaped valve member having a relatively thin wallconstruction which may be cast or machined as appropriate, the presentinvention may be adaptable to other suitable, conventional valveconfigurations. For example, with reference to FIG. 65, a solid ballvalve member 584' according to the present invention includes first,second and third ports 624, 626, and 628. The ports may be provided inthe solid ball member in any suitable, conventional manner as bydrilling. The solid ball member 584' is completely interchangeable withthe thin-walled ball member of FIG. 64 and only differs in its internalconstruction. The solid ball member weighs more and may therefore bemore costly to manufacture. However, the solid ball may be manufacturedmore readily, at least in relatively small quantities.

Other valve arrangements are also within the scope of the claims. Forexample, a plug valve (not shown) wherein the valve member comprises atruncated cone may be modified in accordance with the present inventionby providing first, second and third ports in the valve member in themanner disclosed above.

With reference now to FIG. 67, the supply valve 536 has the indicator508 in the "open" position. The ball member is positioned by the gearoperator so that a solid portion of the spherical outer surface of theball member is oriented toward the second outlet 568 of the supplyvalve. With reference to FIG. 68, the third port 628 is positionedadjacent the inlet 566 of the supply valve with the second port 626positioned adjacent the first outlet 564. A solid portion of the ballmember is positioned adjacent the second outlet 568. Accordingly, wateris permitted to flow through the inlet 566 to the first outlet 564 atthe first preselected flow rate (the fully open flow rate). Water is notpermitted to flow through the ball member from the inlet of the valve tothe second outlet 568.

A flow of water through the first outlet will provide a torque about theshaft of the flow sensor which will in turn cause the flow sensor toprovide a signal to indicate the flow through the first outlet. Afterthe system has been fully supplied with water and is in a staticconfiguration, the flow of water from the inlet to the first outlet willindicate that at least one of the sprinklers has opened, typically as aresult of a fire.

With reference now to FIG. 69, the gear operator has been moved and theindicator now points to the "test" position. With reference to FIG. 70,the ball member 582 has been rotated clockwise sufficiently to permitthe first port 624 of the ball member to provide communication betweenthe inlet 566 and the second outlet 568. Water is therefore free to flowthrough the relatively small opening of the first port through thesecond port and then through the outlet of the valve. At this timecommunication (albeit somewhat restricted) is still provided between theinlet and the first opening 564. This communication permits the pressurein the system to be sensed by the pressure gauge, if provided, at thefirst outlet during a test operation. A flow of water through the secondoutlet during the test operation will provide a torque about the shaftof the flow sensor which will in turn cause the flow sensor to provide asignal to indicate the flow through the second outlet.

With reference now to FIG. 71, the gear operator has again been moved torotate the ball member further in a clockwise direction. The indicatornow points to the "off & drain" legend. With reference to FIG. 72, aclockwise rotation of the ball member 584 has presented the first port624 and a portion of the second port 626 adjacent the second outlet ofthe supply valve. A solid portion of the ball member is providedadjacent the inlet 566 of the supply valve to interrupt the supply ofwater. Water is then free to flow through the second and third portsfrom the inlet to the outlet of the valve.

With reference now to FIG. 73, the supply valve of FIG. 1 is providedwith a pressure relief valve 602 of suitable, conventional design. Thepressure relief valve may be provided in the port provided for the flowswitch in the embodiment of FIG. 2. If the flow switch is desired to beprovided in the valve as described above, the pressure relief valve maybe provided elsewhere so as to be in communication with the interior ofthe valve housing. Preferably, the pressure relief valve includessuitable piping so as to direct any flow through the pressure reliefvalve to the drain of the second outlet.

Similarly, with reference to FIGS. 74, 75, and 76 a pressure reliefvalve 602 may be provided for each of the supply valves of FIGS. 34, 43,and 57. The pressure relief valves are provided so as to communicatewith an interior of the valve housings and preferably are arranged so asto direct any flow through the pressure relief valves to the secondoutlet of the valves.

With reference now to FIG. 77, a conventional ball valve 750 includes ahousing 752 which has an interior chamber 754 which receives a ballvalve member 756. As shown in FIG. 78, the right side of the ball valve750 is an outlet for the valve and is threaded to receive a ball valveretainer 758. The ball valve retainer 758 serves to retain the ballvalve member 756 in the interior chamber 754 by urging an annular seat760 against the ball valve member. The ball valve retainer 758 isthreaded to receive another fitting (not shown) downstream of the valve.The ball valve member 756 in turn is urged against an annular seal 762which abuts a shoulder in the interior chamber of the valve housing. Theleft side of the valve 750 provides an inlet for the valve and isthreaded to receives a fitting (not shown).

If desired, the ball valve member could be retained by a pipe or otherfitting provided to retain the ball valve member in the interior chamberof the valve housing.

The ball valve member has a passageway 768 which passes completelythrough the ball valve member in order to provide communication betweenthe inlet and the outlet of the valve. The ball valve member isconnected to a suitable, conventional valve actuator 710 through a valvestem 714 which enables the ball valve member to be rotated about acentral axis of the ball valve member. In this way, the ball valvemember may be rotated so as to provide full communication between theinlet and the outlet, to completely block communication between theinlet and the outlet and to provide communication at a restricted orlimited extent between the inlet and the outlet.

To this extent, the ball valve 750 of FIG. 77 is conventional and isintended to represent not only suitable, conventional ball valves butalso tapered plug valves and cylindrical valves and any other valveshaving the general configuration of a housing, an interior chamber and avalve member which is arranged for rotational movement about a centralaxis of the valve member with a passageway (passing through the centralaxis) being provided in the valve member.

According to the present invention, a flow switch may be provided in thevalve 750 with the flow switch including a pair of vanes 720 and 721which are connected to a shaft 722. The vanes 720, 721 and the shaft 722are inserted through an opening 770 which is provided along the centralaxis of the valve member 756 and collinear with the stem or valveactuator of the valve member. In this way, the valve member is free torotate about the vanes 720, 721 and the shaft 722 of the flow switch.

The opening 770 may be slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft sothat the vanes 720, 721 may be wrapped about the shaft during insertionof the vanes 720, 721 and the shaft 722 into the valve housing. Thevanes will then unroll after passing beyond the wall of the valvehousing and preferably substantially fill the passageway through thevalve member. If desired, however, the vanes may be oriented at an angleother than perpendicular to the direction of flow or may be ofsubstantially smaller size than the cross-sectional diameter of thepassageway through the valve member so as not to unduly restrict theflow through the valve member.

With reference to FIG. 79, the shaft 722 is configured to rotate about alongitudinal axis of the shaft in response to a flow through the valvemember which acts upon one of the vanes 720, 721. Rotation of the shaftpreferably closes electrical contacts which are provided outside of thevalve housing (not shown). When the flow has rotated the shaftsufficiently, the electrical contacts close to complete an electricalcircuit which supplies a signal such as an alarm. In this way, the flowswitch may indicate the presence of flow through the valve member eitherat the location of the valve or at a remote location.

With reference again to FIG. 77, the vane 721 is provided on the rightside of the shaft and is pinned or fixed to the shaft so that the vanerotates with the shaft. The left vane 720 is hinged to the shaft so thatthe vane may rotate independently of the shaft. However, springs 733 areprovided to resist rotation of the left vane 720 relative to the shaft.For example, three resilient springs 733 may be provided with one end ofthe springs fixed to the shaft and the other end of the springs insliding contact with the backside of the left vane 720. Upon flow in thepassageway, the vanes 720, 721 will be urged to rotate toward oneanother with the springs 733 resisting movement of the left vane 720.

Preferably, rotation of the right vane 721 which is pinned to the shaftis resisted by a spring or other resilient arrangement outside of thevalve housing. This resilient arrangement preferably has a stop or otherdevice to urge the right vane into a position where the right vane isperpendicular to the flow through the valve member. The shaft preferablyhas a stop or shoulder which likewise prevents the left vane from movingbeyond a position where the left vane is perpendicular to the flowthrough the valve member. In this way, when there is no flow through thevalve member, the left and right vanes 720, 721 preferably are alignedwith one another perpendicular to the direction of flow (if present)through the valve member.

Preferably, the force provided by the springs 733 on the left vane 720is substantially the same as the force provided by the resilientarrangement which acts on the shaft to urge the right vane 721 into theinitial position. Upon a flow through the valve, the vanes 720, 721 thenwould move toward one another with the movement of the right vanerotating the shaft to indicate the flow through the valve.

The vanes 720, 721 are configured so as to substantially fill the crosssectional area of the passageway through the valve member. However, ifdesired, the vanes 720, 721 could be substantially smaller than thecross sectional area of the passageway through the valve member so as tonot unduly restrict flow through the valve.

If desired, the end of the shaft may be bottomed out on the valve memberso as to provide support for the shaft. The shaft, of course, would befree to rotate relative to the valve member in such an arrangement.

Since the shaft rotates (rather than pivots) in the embodiment of FIGS.77, 78 the shaft may be sealed more effectively so as to prevent leakagefrom the valve through the sensor.

When the valve member is in the closed configuration with communicationbetween the inlet and outlet blocked, the shaft and vanes may be removedfrom the valve for inspection or repair without any substantial leakagefrom the valve. The seat may be any standard ball valve seat especiallythose known as a hard seat and may be glass-filled or Teflon orCarbofill. The seal preferably has a skirtlike gasket about the sealwhich may be of a softer material such as rubber. If desired, the seaton the downstream or outlet side of the valve member may be replacedwith a seal in order to minimize any leakage when the sensor is beingremoved or inserted through the accessway.

With reference now to FIG. 81, it may be desirable to provide additionalsprings 733' which oppose movement of the vanes 720, 721 toward oneanother. In this embodiment, the additional springs have one end fixedwith respect to the left (or unpinned) vane and the other end of eachspring slides along the back surface of the right vane 721. In this wayadditional resistance is provided to movement of the vanes 720, 721toward one another.

With reference to FIG. 82 the shaft 722 may be provided with only asingle vane 720 which is pinned to the shaft for rotation with theshaft. The vane may be configured as a half circle so as to correspondto one half of the passageway through the valve member. With referenceto FIG. 83, the shaft 722 may be provided with a single vane which isother than a half circle and the shaft may be provided, if desired,other than along a rotational axis of the valve member. Preferably, theshaft is parallel with the rotational axis of the valve member in orderto facilitate rotation of the valve member when the shaft is in place.

The shaft and vanes may be of any suitable material including plastic.

The shaft 722 may be provided without a vane and may comprise athermometer probe, a pressure sensor which senses the pressure in thepassageway or which closes a switch in response to a predeterminedpressure or any other sensor which senses a condition in the valvemember passageway. Moreover, the accessway into the passageway of thevalve member could be provided with a suitable, conventional sight glasswhich permits a visual observation of flow through the passageway. Byproviding the accessway for the sensor or the sight glass into thepassageway of the valve member, the sensor and the sight glass may beremoved for inspection or repair while the valve member is preventingcommunication between the inlet and the outlet.

While the various valves and arrangements according to the presentinvention have been described with reference to a fire suppression watersprinkler system, it is expected that the various valves andarrangements may be of general utility in systems other than watersprinkler systems. Accordingly, the principles, preferred embodimentsand modes of operation of the present invention have been described inthe foregoing specification. However, the invention which is intended tobe protected is not to be construed as limited to the particularembodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein are tobe regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations andchanges may be made by others without departing from the spirit of thepresent invention and it is expressly intended that all such variationsand changes which fall within the spirit and scope of the presentinvention as defined in the claims, be embraced thereby.

What is claimed is:
 1. A valve and sensor arrangement, comprising:avalve including a housing and a valve member, said housing comprising aninterior chamber and an inlet and an outlet, said valve member beingprovided within said interior chamber and comprising a passageway, saidvalve member being movable between a first position which providescommunication between the inlet and the outlet of the housing and asecond position which prevents communication between the inlet and theoutlet of the housing; and sensor means for sensing a condition of thepassageway of the valve member, said sensor means including a sensorelement which is provided within said passageway of said valve member,said sensor means being releasably mounted on said housing of the valvewith said sensor element being provided within said passageway of saidvalve member; means for removing said sensor element from saidpassageway while said valve member is in said second position preventingcommunication between said inlet and said outlet.
 2. The arrangement ofclaim 1 wherein said sensor element senses temperature.
 3. Thearrangement of claim 1 wherein said sensor element senses pressure. 4.The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said sensor element senses a flowthrough the passageway.
 5. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein saidsensor element senses a flow through said interior chamber of saidhousing, said sensor element extending within the valve member coaxiallywith a turning axis of the valve member.
 6. The arrangement of claim 5wherein the sensing element is arranged to be deflected by a flowthrough the valve member.
 7. The arrangement of claim 6 wherein saidvalve member prevents communication between the inlet and the passagewayof the valve member when the valve member is in the second position andwherein said valve member prevents communication between the outlet andthe passageway when the valve member is in the second position.
 8. Thearrangement of claim 1 wherein said sensor element is arranged to berotated about a longitudinal axis of said sensor element by a flowthrough the passageway.
 9. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said valvemember has an axis of rotation and wherein said means for removing saidsensing member includes an accessway through said housing and throughsaid valve member, said accessway being substantially parallel with saidaxis of rotation.
 10. The arrangement of claim 9 wherein said sensorelement is arranged to be rotated about a longitudinal axis of saidsensor element by a flow through the passageway, said longitudinal axisof said sensor element being substantially parallel to said axis ofrotation of said valve member.
 11. The arrangement of claim 10 whereinsaid sensor element includes a shaft having a vane, said longitudinalaxis of said sensor element being along said shaft.
 12. The arrangementof claim 10 wherein said sensor element includes a shaft having firstand second vanes, one of said first and second vanes being fixed to saidshaft and the other of said vanes being hinged to said shaft.
 13. Thearrangement of claim 12 further comprising resilient means for urgingsaid vanes apart from one another.
 14. The arrangement of claim 6wherein said valve has first and second outlets and wherein said sensingelement is arranged to sense a flow through the first outlet and toprovide an indication characteristic thereof and is also arranged tosense a flow through the second outlet and to provide an indicationcharacteristic thereof.
 15. The arrangement of claim 9 wherein saidaccessway is provided opposite to an actuator for said valve memberwhereby said sensing element may be removed from within said valvemember through said accessway while said valve member is preventingcommunication between said inlet and said outlet.
 16. The arrangement ofclaim 15 wherein said accessway is threaded, said sensing element beingthreadably received by said threaded accessway.
 17. A valve and sensingarrangement, comprising:a housing defining an interior chamber having aninlet and at least one outlet, a valve member provided within saidinterior chamber, the valve member having at least one passagewaythrough the valve member, means for selectively moving said valve memberwithin said interior chamber whereby communication between said inletand said outlet may be prevented; means for sensing a flow through saidinterior chamber of said housing, said means for sensing a flowincluding a sensing member which extends from said housing to withinsaid valve member, coaxially with a turning axis of said valve member,and means for removing said sensing member from within said valve memberwhile said valve member is preventing communication between said inletand said outlet, said sensing member being arranged to rotate about alongitudinal axis of the sensing member in response to said flow throughthe valve member.
 18. The valve of claim 17 further comprising accessmeans provided opposite to said valve member whereby said sensing membermay be removed from within said valve member while said valve member ispreventing communication between said inlet and said outlet through saidaccess means.
 19. The valve of claim 18 wherein said access meansincludes a threaded passageway, said sensing means being threadablyreceived by said threaded passageway of said access means.
 20. A valveand sensing arrangement, comprising:a housing defining an interiorchamber having an inlet and at least one outlet, a valve member providedwithin said interior chamber, the valve member having at least onepassageway through the valve member, said valve member having an axis ofrotation; means for selectively moving said valve member within saidinterior chamber whereby communication between said inlet and saidoutlet may be prevented; means for enabling a condition in said interiorchamber of said housing to be sensed; access means for communicatingsaid means for enabling a condition in said interior chamber to besensed with said passageway of said valve member, said access meansincluding an accessway through said housing and through said valvemember, said accessway being selectively closed by a member which isreleasably received by said housing, said accessway being substantiallyparallel with said axis of rotation.
 21. The arrangement of claim 20wherein said means for enabling a condition in said interior chamber ofsaid housing to be sensed includes a sight glass provided in saidaccessway, said sight glass enabling a condition within said passagewayof said valve member to be sensed when the valve member is providingcommunication between said inlet and said outlet through the passageway.22. The arrangement of claim 20 wherein said means for enabling acondition in said interior chamber of said housing to be sensed includesa sensor element which senses temperature.
 23. The arrangement of claim20 wherein said means for enabling a condition in said interior chamberof said housing to be sensed includes a sensor element which sensespressure.
 24. The arrangement of claim 20 wherein said means forenabling a condition in said interior chamber of said housing to besensed includes a sensor element which senses a flow through thepassageway.
 25. A valve, comprising:a housing defining an interiorchamber having an inlet and at least one outlet, a valve member providedwithin said interior chamber, the valve member having at least onepassageway through the valve member, means for selectively moving saidvalve member within said interior chamber whereby communication betweensaid inlet and said outlet may be prevented, means for sensing a flowthrough said interior chamber of said housing, said means for sensing aflow including a sensing member which extends from said housing towithin said valve member, coaxially with a turning axis of said valvemember, and means for removing said sensing member from within saidvalve member while said valve member is preventing communication betweensaid inlet and said outlet.
 26. The valve of claim 25 wherein saidsensing member which extends within said valve member is arranged to bedeflected by a flow through the valve member.
 27. The valve of claim 26wherein said valve has first and second outlets and wherein said meansfor sensing is arranged to sense a flow through the first outlet and toprovide an indication characteristic thereof and is also arranged tosense a flow through the second outlet and to provide an indicationcharacteristic thereof.
 28. The valve of claim 25 further comprisingaccess means provided opposite to said valve member whereby said sensingmember may be removed from within said valve member while said valvemember is preventing communication between said inlet and said outletthrough said access means.
 29. The valve of claim 28 wherein said accessmeans includes a threaded passageway, said sensing means beingthreadably received by said threaded passageway of said access means.30. A ball valve and sensor arrangement, comprising:a ball valveincluding a housing and a ball valve member, said housing comprising aninterior chamber and an inlet and an outlet, said ball valve memberbeing provided within said interior chamber and comprising a passageway,said ball valve member being movable between a first position whichprovides communication between the inlet and the outlet of the housingand a second position which prevents communication between the inlet andthe outlet of the housing; and sensor means for sensing a condition ofthe passageway of the valve member, said sensor means including a sensorelement which is provided within said passageway of said valve member,said sensor means being releasably mounted on said housing of the ballvalve with said sensor element being provided within said passageway ofsaid ball valve member; means for removing said sensor element from saidpassageway while said ball valve member is in said second positionpreventing communication between said inlet and said outlet.
 31. Thearrangement of claim 30 wherein said sensor element senses temperature.32. The arrangement of claim 30 wherein said sensor element sensespressure.
 33. The arrangement of claim 30 wherein said sensor elementsenses a flow through the passageway.
 34. The arrangement of claim 30wherein said sensor element senses a flow through said interior chamberof said housing, said sensor elements extending within the ball valvemember coaxially with a turning axis of the ball valve member.
 35. Thearrangement of claim 34 wherein the sensing element is arranged to bedeflected by a flow through the ball valve member.
 36. The arrangementof claim 35 wherein said ball valve member prevents communicationbetween the inlet and the passageway of the ball valve member when theball valve member is in the second position and wherein said ball valvemember prevents communication between the outlet and the passageway whenthe ball valve member is in the second position.
 37. The arrangement ofclaim 30 wherein said sensor element is arranged to be rotated about alongitudinal axis of said sensor element by a flow through thepassageway.
 38. The arrangement of claim 30 wherein said ball valvemember has an axis of rotation and wherein said means for removing saidsensing member includes an accessway through said housing and throughsaid ball valve member, said accessway being substantially parallel withsaid axis of rotation.
 39. The arrangement of claim 38 wherein saidsensor element is arranged to be rotated about a longitudinal axis ofsaid sensor element by a flow through the passageway, said longitudinalaxis of said sensor element being substantially parallel to said axis ofrotation of said ball valve member.
 40. The arrangement of claim 39wherein said sensor element includes a shaft having a vane, saidlongitudinal axis of said sensor element being along said shaft.
 41. Thearrangement of claim 39 wherein said sensor element includes a shafthaving first and second vanes, one of said first and second vanes beingfixed to said shaft and the other of said vanes being hinged to saidshaft.
 42. The arrangement of claim 41 further comprising resilientmeans for urging said vanes apart from one another.
 43. The arrangementof claim 35 wherein said ball valve has first and second outlets andwherein said sensing element is arranged to sense a flow through thefirst outlet and to provide an indication characteristic thereof and isalso arranged to sense a flow through the second outlet and to providean indication characteristic thereof.
 44. The arrangement of claim 38wherein said accessway is provided opposite to an actuator for said ballvalve member whereby said sensing element may be removed from withinsaid ball valve member through said accessway while said ball valvemember is preventing communication between said inlet and said outlet.45. The arrangement of claim 44 wherein said accessway is threaded, saidsensing element being threadably received by said threaded accessway.46. A ball valve and sensing arrangement, comprising:a housing definingan interior chamber having an inlet and at least one outlet, a ballvalve member provided within said interior chamber, the ball valvemember having at least one passageway through the ball valve member,means for selectively moving said ball valve member within said interiorchamber whereby communication between said inlet and said outlet may beprevented; means for sensing a flow through said interior chamber ofsaid housing, said means for sensing a flow including a sensing memberwhich extends from said housing to within said ball valve member,coaxially with a turning axis of said ball valve member, and means forremoving said sensing member from within said ball valve member whilesaid ball valve member is preventing communication between said inletand said outlet, said sensing member being arranged to rotate about alongitudinal axis of the sensing member in response to said flow throughthe ball valve member.
 47. The ball valve of claim 46 further comprisingaccess means provided opposite to said ball valve member whereby saidsensing member may be removed from within said ball valve member whilesaid ball valve member is preventing communication between said inletand said outlet through said access means.
 48. The ball valve of claim47 wherein said access means includes a threaded passageway, saidsensing means being threadably received by said threaded passageway ofsaid access means.
 49. A ball valve and sensing arrangement,comprising:a housing defining an interior chamber having an inlet and atleast one outlet, a ball valve member provided within said interiorchamber, the ball valve member having at least one passageway throughthe ball valve member, said ball valve member having an axis ofrotation; means for selectively moving said ball valve member withinsaid interior chamber whereby communication between said inlet and saidoutlet may be prevented; means for enabling a condition in said interiorchamber of said housing to be sensed; access means for communicatingsaid means for enabling a condition in said interior chamber to besensed with said passageway of said ball valve member, said access meansincluding an accessway through said housing and through said ball valvemember, said accessway being selectively closed by a member which isreleasably received by said housing, said accessway being substantiallyparallel with said axis of rotation.
 50. The arrangement of claim 49wherein said means for enabling a condition in said interior chamber ofsaid housing to be sensed includes a sight glass provided in saidaccessway, said sight glass enabling a condition within said passagewayof said ball valve member to be sensed when the ball valve member isproviding communication between said inlet and said outlet through thepassageway.
 51. The arrangement of claim 49 wherein said means forenabling a condition in said interior chamber of said housing to besensed includes a sensor element which senses temperature.
 52. Thearrangement of claim 49 wherein said means for enabling a condition insaid interior chamber of said housing to be sensed includes a sensorelement which senses pressure.
 53. The arrangement of claim 49 whereinsaid means for enabling a condition in said interior chamber of saidhousing to be sensed includes a sensor element which senses a flowthrough the passageway.
 54. A ball valve, comprising:a housing definingan interior chamber having an inlet and at least one outlet, a ballvalve member provided within said interior chamber, the ball valvemember having at least one passageway through the ball valve member,means for selectively moving said ball valve member within said interiorchamber whereby communication between said inlet and said outlet may beprevented, means for sensing a flow through said interior chamber ofsaid housing, said means for sensing a flow including a sensing memberwhich extends from said housing to within said ball valve member,coaxially with a turning axis of said ball valve member, and means forremoving said sensing member from within said ball valve member whilesaid ball valve member is preventing communication between said inletand said outlet.
 55. The ball valve of claim 54 wherein said sensingmember which extends within said ball valve member is arranged to bedeflected by a flow through the ball valve member.
 56. The ball valve ofclaim 55 wherein said ball valve has first and second outlets andwherein said means for sensing is arranged to sense a flow through thefirst outlet and to provide an indication characteristic thereof and isalso arranged to sense a flow through the second outlet and to providean indication characteristic thereof.
 57. The ball valve of claim 54further comprising access means provided opposite to said ball valvemember whereby said sensing member may be removed from within said ballvalve member while said ball valve member is preventing communicationbetween said inlet and said outlet through said access means.
 58. Theball valve of claim 57 wherein said access means includes a threadedpassageway, said sensing means being threadably received by saidthreaded passageway of said access means.